Dear John,

While the UK continues to bask/sweat/sulk (delete as per weather preference) in the ongoing heatwave, the rest of the world appears to be having a meltdown of its own. 

In the week that saw further escalation of the Israel-Iran conflict, and potential US involvement, developments in the UK-US trade deal, and votes on what could be significant social changes in Britain, here is your (hopefully) cool, calm and collected Weekend Wire. 

Grab an ice lolly, and dive in.

Yes to YMS!

Before we get to the bad news, in a major post-Brexit development - and a significant win for Best for Britain as the first to campaign for an EU-UK scheme since 2023 - the EU Council has green-lit their mandate to negotiate a youth mobility scheme with the UK.

Confirmation came after a meeting on Friday of the  European Council who agreed to hold detailed talks with the UK on how many youth visas would be issued under what conditions. 

Negotiations are yet to take place but such a scheme could enable young Brits and Europeans to travel, work and study in each other's countries, creating new opportunities to learn skills, boost cultural connections, and strengthen the bonds of friendship. 

Coming just days ahead of the nine year anniversary of the Brexit referendum, the news also follows a YouGov poll which found 56% of the British public think it was wrong to leave the EU, and 65% want us to have a closer relationship with the trading bloc. Progress on YMS is just one such step. 

Chair of the cross-party UK Trade and Business Commission Andrew Lewin MP - who led 70 Labour MPs and Peers to lobby the government for a YMS - said he hopes,  “both sides move forward as quickly as possible to design a scheme and turn this into a reality.”

Best for Britain CEO Naomi Smith said, “the ball is in the Prime Minister’s court”.

(De)-escalation?

The past week has seen the ratcheting up of conflict between Israel and Iran, with the two nations launching strikes back and forth, while the international community (mostly) urged de-escalation and negotiation about Iran’s nuclear programme in the face of a looming all-out war.

As of Friday afternoon,  the UK’s PA Media, are reporting that some 657 people, including 263 civilians, have been killed in Iran with more than 2,000 wounded since the strikes began last week. While at least 24 deaths have been reported in Israel with hundreds more injured.

Internationally, the past days have been uncertain. From US President Donald Trump exiting the G7 summit early - appearing to cite the Middle Eastern conflict - and UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer calling an emergency COBR meeting on Wednesday, amid reports that the US could join Israel in launching strikes against Iran. The situation appeared to cool somewhat towards the end of the week, with Trump announcing he would make a decision on what to do within the next two weeks, as European foreign ministers held talks with Iran on Friday. 

While the situation is fast-moving, here’s hoping - particularly for all civilians affected - that cool heads prevail.

Trading update

In somewhat positive news for the UK’s car, aerospace and steel industries, the Prime Minister managed to secure an update on the UK-US deal on tariffs (note: not a full trade deal) at the G7, despite the US President exiting the summit early. 

The PM - who explained the strict security cordon was why he, and not a staffer, was left scooping up Trump’s dropped papers - managed to secure a signature on the executive order lowering car and aerospace tariffs and exempting the UK from 50% steel duties (although we are still getting hit by 25% ones).

You can read more about all the latest on this over on the Best for Britain blog:

“Deals with such an unpredictable US administration means doubts will remain for the UK’s industries - no matter what is signed. And as the iron law of business goes, uncertainty is bad. It means decisions put on hold, investment paused, innovation reduced, growth forestalled.”

(Not a) numbers game

Two key indicators of the strength of the UK economy remained, well, static this week, with the inflation rate staying consistent at 3.4% from last month (after the ONS corrected an erroneously higher 3.5% figure), and the Bank of England holding interest rates at 4.25%. 

While gloomy economic news is depressingly common these days, ongoing global factors - including growing conflict in the Middle East - and disrupted supply chains are helping keep inflation “stubbornly above the Bank of England’s 2% target” as we at Best for Britain highlighted.

Our chief executive Naomi Smith urged the government to deploy “every available lever to ease the cost of living for Brits”, by “delivering on the promises from last month's summit with the EU and going further to removing artificial trade barriers with our largest market”.

Read her comments in full here.

Rebel alliance

In what could shape up to be another defining moment of the Labour administration, the government’s welfare legislation - the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill - was published on Wednesday, prompting reports that whips are warning potentially rebellious MPs (who Politico are reporting could number up to 170) that they could face being blacklisted from any cabinet or ministerial jobs for the length of Starmer’s premiership even for abstaining from the vote - or lose the whip entirely for voting against.

Disability campaigners were also quick to highlight issues with the proposals - which are set to include tightening the criteria for the main disability benefit, personal independence payment (PIP), cutting the sickness-related element of universal credit (UC), and delaying access to only those aged 22 and over. James Taylor, from disability charity Scope, warned the bill would be “catastrophic for disabled people” with a “devastating effect” on their health, working lives and independence. While Mikey Erhardt, from Disability Rights UK, called the plans “indiscriminate and dangerous cuts which no minor mitigation or concession can make safe”. 

Safe to say, the controversy over this particular set of reforms is going nowhere. We’ll be keeping a close eye - and you informed - as to how it all pans out.

Matters of morality

It’s said there are decades where nothing happens, and weeks where decades happen. While we’d argue you’d have to go back to pre-2016 to find a slice of ‘nothing’ happening, this week has certainly felt historic.

Tuesday saw MPs vote in favour of Labour’s Tonia Antoniazzi’s amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill - with a majority of 242 - to decriminalise abortion in England and Wales, in the biggest change to abortion law in nearly six decades.

On Friday, the House of Commons saw a historic vote on the third reading of Labour MP Kim Leadbeater’s Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which was brought a step closer to passing into law. MPs voted 314 to 291, a majority of 23, to approve the proposed legislation, which will now leave the Commons and move to the House of Lords for further debate and scrutiny.

It was a free vote, meaning MPs were not whipped and could vote according to their conscience, with the Prime Minister joining colleagues and MPs in the Yes voting lobby.

The bill - if it now passes the Lords - would allow terminally ill adults with a life expectancy of less than six months to end their lives, following various safeguarding hurdles. It would likely be 2029 before anyone can choose to take this route, due to a four-year implementation period.

Cringe Column 

This has been your Weekend Wire from Best for Britain. 

You can keep an eye out next week for all sorts, from the UK’s industrial and trade strategies [rumoured to be] finally being published, to the 2025 NATO summit which is looking more pressing by the hour… 

Stay hydrated, and have a good one.

Jessica Frank-Keyes

Senior Press Officer

Best for Britain